The invention relates to data exchange between computer applications. More particularly, the invention relates to the exchange of data between application level shared files to establish a communication protocol between two computer applications.
Computer technology has fostered the development of computer software applications which have become integral components of commercial as well as personal computing systems. As such, the need for computers supporting common applications to exchange data has resulted in a proliferation of network technologies and communication standards and protocols. These technologies typically address the management of dissimilar physical, link and network layers of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model, for the purpose of establishing a viable communication medium between applications and computing devices.
For example, data exchange between computer applications may include, (i) computer control and data acquisition of automated equipment data, followed by (ii) processing of the acquired data, and finally by (iii) archiving/export to a database. Presently, any of these functions can be performed by individual computer applications. However, for continuous operation, the separate computer applications must be simultaneously running (preferably on a single machine) and freely exchanging data with each other. Since real-time communication between two computer applications is often impractical (except for the case when they happen to be from the same generation of the same manufacturer) more often than not, a single computer application has to be developed having all of the above functionality; This is a very costly, time consuming, and an entirely non-portable solution.
Some industry organizations have established standards and protocols to further enhance data communication capabilities. For example, the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) trade association has introduced standards such as SEMI E4 (SEMI Equipment Communications Standard 1 Message Transfer—SECS-I), SEMI E5 (SEMI Equipment Communications Standard 2 Message Content—SECS-II), SEMI E30 (Generic Model for Communications and Control of Manufacturing Equipment—GEM), SEMI E37 (High-Speed SECS Message Services Generic Services—HSMS). These standards specify strict message (data) formats for communication over a dedicated hardware line (RS 232 serial connection or a TCP/IP stream support). However, the standards (i) pertain only to the particular case of data exchange between a piece of semiconductor equipment and a host computer, (ii) require additional hardware connectivity, and (iii) require very expensive, often proprietary, and generally non-portable software and hardware development.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simple communication protocol in which a broad range of computer applications can communicate with each other.